Compensating gear for vehicles.



no. 677,998. A Patented July 9, |901.

c. T. FLETcHEn.

COMPENSATINE GEAR F03 VEHICLES.

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` Pate`nted luly 9, |90I. Ch-T. FLETCHER. COMPENSATING GEAR FUR VEHICLES.

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No. 677,968. v Pafentedfjuly 9, |901.

n.1. FLETcHEn.

CUMPENSTING GEAR FOR VEHIULES. i

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CHARLES vT. FLETCHER, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO vTHE LOCOMOBILE COMPANY OF AMERICA, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COMPENSATING GEAR FOR VEHICLES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 677,968, dated July 9, 190.1.

Application filed J une 14, 1900,. Serial No. 20,324. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES T. FLETCHER, of Worcester, in the county of Worcester and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Compensating Gears for Vehicles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the compensating gear employed to connect the driving-'axles of road-vehicles and designed to permit unequal rotary movements of the driving-wheels in making turns.

The invention has for its object to improve the general structure of compensating gears, the improvements looking particularly toward the protection of the gearing, easy-running qualities, simplicity of construction, ease of assembling, and the adjustment of the wheel-axles with respect to the gear.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a side elevation of a compensating gear constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 represents a horizontal sectional view of the gear and the vouter end of one of the axles. Fig. 3 represents an intermediate section throughfthe gear ina plane at right angles to the axles. Figs. 4 and 5 represent sections on the lines 4 4 and 5 5' of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 represents a section on line 6 6 of Fig. 2. Fig. 7 represents arear elevation of the running-gear of a road-vehicle,

showing the location of the compensating gear.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts Vin all the figures. v

Referring to. the drawings, 1 1 represent the driving-wheels of the vehicle, and 2 2 represent the tubular axle-housings inclosing the driving-axles 3 3 and connected at their inner ends by a yoke 4. Between the inner ends of the two housings 2 2 is located the compensating gear, which is denoted generically bythe numeral 5 and is provided externally with a suitable power-'transmitting wheel or member, such as the sprocketwheel 6, whereby the gear is connected with the driving agent. k

As constructed in accordance with my invention the compensating gear includes the following features or substantial equivalents thereof: 7 7 are two spur-gears of equal size Fig.. 8 represents a plan View thereof.

` fixed to the inner or adjacent ends of the axles 3 3 by means of keys 8 8 and held thereon by means of nuts 9 9. Elongated seats are obtained for the gears 7 by forming them with Sleeve-hubs 10, the outer ends of which abut against shoulders 1l, formed on the axles 3, the nuts 9 serving to hold the gears against said'shoulders The compensating movenientis obtained by means of two pairs of spur-gears 12 12, journaled on a frame 13, to which the sprocketwheel 6 is affixed, and the periphery of which is also preferably formed as a brake-drum 14. The two gears 12 of each pair of the idlers or intermediate gears are elongated sufficiently tomesh with the respective axlegears 7 7 and with each other, as'clearly represented in Figs. 4 and 5. I do not limit myself in respect to the number of pairs of these idle or intermediate gears which may be employed.

The frame 13,which journals the intermediate gears 12 12, is made in the form of a hollow closed box or casing having two bearings 15 15 onthe respective axles 3 3 outside of lthe axle-gears 7 7, the actual bearing of the casing being on the hubs of the gears 7. `To permit the parts toV be readily assembled or taken apart, I make the casing 13 in a plurality of separable segments, the iconstruction being best 'shown in Figs. 1 and 3, which represent the casing as composed of jtwo sections 16 16, secured together by bolts 17 17. The sprocket-wheel 6 is made inthe form of a continuous ring tted on an annular shouldered seat 18 on the casing 13 'and' secured to both segments of the casing by means of screws 19 19. A simple and light bearing is provided for the intermediate gears 12 12 by mounting each gear on a separate cylindrical tube 20, the ends of which are passed through apertures in the side walls of the casing 13 and expanded on the outside of said walls. The gears 12 arel held in their proper positions on the tubes 20 by means of spacing-sleeves 21. When power is applied to the sprocket-wheel 6, the frame or casing 13, carrying with it the intermediate gears 12, will be rotated as a whole, and if the resistance to the rotation of the axles 3 3 is equal, as when the vehicle is traveling both as supporting journals or bearings and` as longitudinal end-thrust bearings. The preferred manner of aftixing the Wheels l to the axles 3 is shown at the lett hand of Fig. 2. The wheel-hub is held to a shoulder 24 on the axle 3 by means of an end nut25, and relative rotary movement is prevented by squaring the axle and hub, as represented in Figs. 2 and 7. The shoulder 24, as here shown, is formed by the outer end of an adjusting-cone which forms a part of the bearing 22 and screws on a threaded part 26 ot' the axle 3, so as to adjust the bearings 22 and 23. A complemental bearing-cone 27, forming a part of the bearing 23, is located on the inner end of the axle 3. 28 isa bearing-cone similar to cone 27 and forming apart of the bearing 23 at the inner end of the righthand axle. Gone 28 has a fixed seat against the end of the gear-hub l0. Adjustment for the bearings of the right-hand axle is effected at the outer end of said axle. It will benoted that the right-hand one of the bearings l5 of casing 13 is held between the adjusting-cone 2S and the inner face of the axle-gear 7 and is thus maintained in a fixed relation with the right-hand'axle 3, the cone 2S being ixed when the bearings of said axle are properly adjusted. The two axle-housings 2 2 are held in a fixed or rigid relation through the yoke Il. Vhen wear occurs in the bearings of the axles, it is taken up by adjusting the cone (not shown) at the outer end of the right-hand axle and both of the cones of the leflrhand axlebearings, for if the wear is in the latter bearings both cones 2Jc 27 mustbe adjusted toward each other, so as to leave the left axle in its former relation to the compensating gear and to the right axle, and if the right-hand axlebearings wear the adjustment at the outer end ot" said axle will move the axle to the right slightly, carrying also the gear-case 13, and will hence necessitate moving the left axle to the right in its bearings.

To take apart the compensating gear, the axles 3 3 are moved toward each other to clear the outer rim-flanges of the axle-gears 7 7 and the inner hub-flanges of the casing 13, which, as shown in Fig. 3, are normally overlapped, and the halves of the casing, together with the intermediate gears carried thereby, may then, after removing their bolts and the sprocket (5, be removed by a lateral movement With respect to the axles. As respects the radially-divided frame for the intermediate gearing my invention is not limited to spur compensating gears.

I claiml. In a compensating gear for vehicles, the combination of the two driving-wheel axles, gears on the adjacent ends of said axles, intermediate gearing connecting the axle-gears, a frame journaling said intermediate gearing and having a power-transmitting periphery, said frame being divided radially into a plurality of separable segments separable by a movement transverse with :respect to the axles, and means for securing said segments together.

2. In a compensating gear for vehicles, the combination of the two driving-wheel axles, gears on the adjacent ends of said axles, intermediate gearing connecting the axle-gears, a frame journaling said intermediate gearing and made in the form ot' a casing having two bearings on l(he respective axles, outside of the said axle-gears, and having a power-transmitting periphery, said frame being made up ofa plurality of separable segments, each having a portion of each of said bearings, and means for separably securing said segments together.

3. In a compensating gear for vehicles, the combination of the two driving-wheel axles, gears on the adjacent ends of said axles, inter mediate gearing connecting the axle-gears, a frame journaling said intermediate gearing and divided radially into a plurality ot' segments separable by a movement transverse with respect to the axles, a toothed powertransmitting wheel made in the form of a continuous ring embracing said frame and means for separably securing said ring to the frame.

4. In a compensating gear for vehicles, the combination of the two driving-wheel axles, spur-gears on the adjacent ends of said axles, a frame having a power-transmitting periphery and made in the form of a casing i'nclosing the axle-gears, and a train of intermediate spur-gears connecting said axle-gears and journaled on said casing, the bearings for said intermediate gears being cylindrical tubes expanded at both ends into the sides of the casing.

In testimony whereof I have aflixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES T. FLETCHER.

Witnesses:

A. D. HARRIsoN, P. W. PEZZETTL IOO IIO 

